The Perceived Risk of Smoking Cannabis: Method of Use by Age

Abstract

Cannabis use is a public health concern in the United States, and its use is increasingly popular across age groups. Emerging research suggests that smoking cannabis may be perceived as riskier compared to vaping cannabis, like the use of combustible cigarettes and vaping for nicotine. The purpose of the present study is to examine how the perceived risk for smoking cannabis is influenced by the method of use (i.e., vaping, no-vaping, or no-use) and age at the population level. A secondary data analysis from the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health ( N = 58, 034) for individuals ages 12 and older in the United States was conducted using binary logistic regression. For vaping and no-vaping, differences in perceived risk of smoking cannabis were not dependent on age groupings, however, support was found for an interaction between perceived risk of smoking cannabis and age when comparing vaping and no-use.